


It Could've Been You

by monkeyihihji



Series: Only Us [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon, Did I mention angst, Driving Across the Country, F/M, Idiots in Love, Its just them driving and talking, Like so much angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Road Trips, Season/Series 06, but they both refuse to admit it, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22487998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkeyihihji/pseuds/monkeyihihji
Summary: If someone asked Derek how he ended up driving through the early hours of dawn on an impromptu road trip across the country with none other than Stiles Stilinski, he would tell you the answer sounded almost as crazy as the situation.Snippets of the road trip scene we were all robbed of in Season Six.
Relationships: Braeden/Derek Hale (mentioned), Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski (mentioned)
Series: Only Us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632994
Comments: 12
Kudos: 150





	It Could've Been You

If someone asked Derek how he ended up driving through the early hours of dawn on an impromptu road trip across the country with none other than Stiles Stilinski, he would tell you the answer sounded almost as crazy as the situation. Well, he probably would respond with a gruff “I don’t know” instead of the truth. The truth was that he had been followed by the FBI to a warehouse because apparently he was a mass murderer now, and low and behold, there was Stiles who tried to sneak him out. Although, tried was the key word. 

\---

_ Derek Hale was not having a good day. He slept through his alarm which caused him to miss his morning workout routine. The coffee shop he usually visited was closed for some ungodly reason, which meant he had to get the burnt coffee from a gas station near by. And to top it all off, he was now in a warehouse surrounded by the FBI. He growled in annoyance. All he wanted was information on a group of hunters and now he had to deal with escaping what sounded like a small army outside.  _

_ “Derek Hale! This is the FBI,” A static voice echoed, “come out of the building with your hands up. If you fail to cooperate, we will come in after you.” _

_ Wow. They didn’t really have room for imagination with that speech. He started making his way to the back exit of the warehouse. He wasn’t too worried. He was a werewolf against a very human taskforce, he would just slip out the back and let them raid an empty building. Yet, as he neared the other side, he heard the multiple heartbeats and the smell of gunpowder hit his nose. He tightened his jaw and backed away from the exit, finding himself in a maze of hallways.  _

_ If he decided to fight his way out, it would only confirm the FBI’s suspicions of him being a mass murderer. Plus, it would make him look dangerous and they would not hesitate to shoot him. They also probably wouldn’t hesitate shooting him if he walked out willingly. There was a loud crash as the front doors were forced open. The sounds of shouting and bullets echoed through the building. Fuck.  _

_ He moved quickly down a hallway, searching for another exit that he could possibly slip out of. He stopped in his tracks as he heard the undeniable erratic heartbeat that accompanied the scent fresh apples and spices that he hasn't smelt for years.  _

_ Stiles. _

_ What the hell was Stiles doing here!? As if on cue, a figure came running at him from the end of the hallway.  _

_ “Derek!” Stiles shouted, almost barreling straight into him, “you’re not feral!”  _

_ “Stiles?” Derek stared in shock, ignoring the fact that Stiles was still talking, “What the h--” _

_ “--instructor mentioned feral attacks, I thought maybe Wolf-You was controlling Human-You!” The kid’s hands flew everywhere as he talked. Derek’s eyes moved downwards, soaking in the sight of Stiles but he stopped when he read the FBI lettering on his jacket.  _

_ “Wait, you’re a part of this?” Derek grabbed the jacket to double check the letters. Of course Stiles would be part of the SWAT team trying to kill him. _

_ “No.” Was the immediate response, “Well, yes. Look, not much time. Follow me.” Stiles grabbed Derek’s arm and began pulling him towards the noise.  _

_ Derek stayed put, “You want to drag me towards an armed SWAT team hellbent on killing me?”  _

_ “Yep.” Stiles popped the ‘p’. “Now hurry your furry ass up. If you keep your head down and stay close, they’ll think you’re with me.” _

_ \-- _

Apparently, Stiles had been trying to track him since Derek was one of the first topics that came up the beginning of his internship. It took the younger man a few months to track down Derek’s location and only a few minutes to convince the FBI to bring the intern along for the operation to take down Derek. 

Derek glanced over at the passenger, “How’s the foot?”

“Still missing part of my toe.” Stiles grumbled. 

\-- 

_ “Oh my god. I can’t look at it.” Stiles howled in pain as he laid on the ground clutching his foot. His shoe was laying beside him with a small hole through it. “It’s bad. It’s really bad. Go on without me.” _

_ Derek looked at the doors and then back at the kid crying on the ground. He was so close. He hated to admit it, but Stiles’ plan had worked up until now. Stiles, with one hand on Derek’s arm, pulled the werewolf through a clear path between the armed soldiers. They didn’t even so much as blink as they proceeded searching the building. Everything was working just fine until Stiles’ foot got hit by a stray bullet, causing the human to fall down with an excruciating scream.  _

_ He growled in annoyance. Stiles had come to save Derek, it was only fair that he did the same, “Shut up, it’s not as bad you think.”  _

_ Stiles’ arms instantly wrapped around Derek’s neck as Derek picked him up bridal style. He winced as Stiles’ continued to scream in his ear. He definitely didn’t feel how perfectly Stiles weight shifted in his arms. Or how the teen felt a lot stronger than he looked. Instead, he focused on getting out the doors unnoticed by any other officers. He only hoped that Stiles wouldn’t pass out if he looked at his bloody foot. He should have known better than to hope.  _

_ \-- _

“Don’t worry, it’ll heal.” Granted, it would take far longer than if it was Derek who was shot. “The pain goes away eventually.” 

Stiles scoffed, “yeah? That’s probably thanks to your stupid wolf healing.”

God, the kid was more annoying now than a few years ago. Derek took another glance at Stiles and realized that he probably shouldn’t label him as a kid anymore. In the few years since Derek had seen him, Stiles matured from a spastic teenager into an young adult. His shoulders were broader and he seemed to be losing the baby fat around his face, giving way to sharp cheekbone in its place. Gone was the overactive teenager and in his place was a man that Derek refused to let his mind wander to. 

He would be lying if he didn’t say he thought of certain members of the pack every now and then in his past few years. When he had first left, he received a phone call from Scott every now and then mainly asking for training tips with Liam, or him asking about how to control a pack full of so many different supernatural creatures. Derek had tried to answer to the best of his ability, but he eventually started letting the calls go to voicemail. He had left Beacon Hills for a reason and he didn’t want to be pulled back into the hell mouth even if that meant distancing himself from the pack. 

Derek wasn’t even for sure if he was still considered part of the pack. The phone calls from Scott had become far and few in between until they eventually stopped. He still felt somewhat of the pack bond, but it was faded, almost like a nostalgic feeling. He was in a different place now, and even though he longed to be surrounded by pack, he now knew he could live without. Yes, he was going back to California for Scott’s pack, but he was also going for himself. Gerard was back in Beacon Hills and he wasn’t going to let the old man hurt anybody else. 

“The drive is over forty hours.” Stiles said, looking down at his phone. “We should take it in shifts. Ten hours each.” Even his voice sounded lower than Derek remembered; less excited and more somber. Maybe it was the impending doom falling down around his hometown that caused him to be less animated. 

“You’re not driving my car.” Derek growled, not looking away from the road.

“And you’re not driving all forty hours. We either go in shifts or we stop at hotels so you can rest. One way gets us there faster and the faster we get there, the better our chances are.” Stiles turned off his phone and leaned to look out the window, Derek saw how dark the bags under his eyes actually were. 

“How would you feel if I asked to drive your jeep?” Speaking of which, Derek didn’t even see the old car when he picked up Stiles for the road trip.

After the whole fiasco of escaping the warehouse, and after Stiles had calmed down about his toe, Stiles had given Derek an address to meet him. The younger man had to get his foot checked out by the paramedics and also request some time off from his internship in the least suspicious way possible. He didn’t want to alert the FBI to him actually being friends with the “feral murderer” Derek Hale and that he was going to travel back home with him to stop a group of hunters from killing the rest of his friends. 

There was a strange bitter scent that came from Stiles before he answered, “It wouldn’t matter because I left it in California.” 

“You left it?” That was surprising. He couldn’t imagine Stiles without the jeep. 

“Yeah, there isn’t enough duct tape to hold the thing together if I took it across the country.”

Derek hummed in agreement, although a little surprised to hear Stiles speak so flippantly, “So, who is taking care of it? The Sheriff?” 

“Scott.” The bitter smell got stronger. 

Derek wrinkled his nose at the scent and figured that maybe Stiles didn’t want to talk about the jeep. “How’s Scott? I haven’t talked to him in awhile.” 

It was like Stiles was shocked with a live wire. One moment he was slouched against the window and the next he was sitting straight up and reaching for the radio. “Let’s get some tunes, yeah? Every road trip needs music. If I had more time, I would have made an epic playlist. Do you have an aux cord?” He checked his phone, “Nevermind, battery wouldn’t last that long anyway. Radio stations it is!” He began changing the radio stations until he settled on a soft rock station. 

Derek let the music wash over them. He picked up on the hint that Stiles didn’t really want to talk, and he was alright with that. He’d rather have the silence than the awkward small talk. He mentally marked to not bring up the jeep or Scott back up unless Stiles did so himself. 

They barely stopped, only for food and to fill up on gas or use the restroom. There weren't many words in between. The occasional “turn here” or “I’m stopping at the next gas station”. Derek didn’t mind other than the fact that it made him worry. Stiles always seem to have something to say, no matter how ridiculous, and now it seemed like he favored the silent treatment.

Stiles fell asleep around five hours in, but woke up to an alarm reminding both of them that it was the ten hour mark and it was time to switch drivers. Derek didn’t remember agreeing to switch, but his eyes were strained and his leg was sore so he gladly switched him places. Derek had planned on staying awake for Stiles’ stint, but he was out the moment he sat down in the passenger seat.

He woke up to the sound of Stiles arguing on the phone with his dad. He kept his eyes closed but eavesdropped on the conversation. 

“ _ \--n’t care, Stiles. You’re not coming. You’re staying where we know you are safe.”  _

“The Pack is in danger, dad. You and Lydia are my main concerns, of course I’m coming home to help you guys out.” 

Lydia. Why would Lydia be his main concern? The last Derek was aware, the most important things to Stiles were his dad, Scott, and Malia. Now only one of those things remained. 

_ “Please, son. I don’t want to worry about you. Scott and the Pack have this covered. Besides, your girlfriend would worry even more about you if you were here.”  _ _   
_ _   
_ Girlfriend. Lydia. Derek’s chest felt slightly tight at making the connection. He told himself that it was because he felt sorry for Malia. And he definitely didn’t remember how perfectly Stiles had fit in his arms just less than twenty four hours ago. 

“Okay. Love you.” Stiles’ tone was clipped as he hung up the phone and he sighed heavily, “I woke you up, huh? You twitched and I figured you were awake.” 

Derek opened his eyes, surprised to find that the moon was high in the sky. It was definitely daytime when they switched drivers. “It was time I got up anyway.” He sat up straighter and stretched his back, “Where are we?”    
  
Stiles drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He seemed agitated, “Close to Lincoln, Nebraska. About time to switch again.” 

“Your dad doesn’t sound too thrilled that you’re coming home.” Derek mentioned as he stared out the window, blinking sleep from his eyes.

“Don't.” Stiles warned. “You don't get to lecture me about leaving and coming home.” 

“I’m not,” Derek defended, “I'm just saying he doesn't sound happy about the whole ordeal.”

“I'd rather him be pissed about me coming home than hurt that I never showed up.” Stiles’ tone was icy and Derek knew it was directed towards him. 

“Ouch.” Derek mumbled. He knew it was a dick move when he left the pack in Mexico. He also thought it was the right move; the Pack didn’t need him and Braeden did. They both needed each other at the time. So they had traveled awhile together. Living dangerously. Taking down a few bad guys. Having sex whenever they could. But eventually, they grew apart. It wasn’t as devastating as the break ups that Derek was used to; one day they were together and then the next they weren’t. They entered Denver together and they left literally going in opposite directions. After that, Derek was out on his own. The thought of going back to Beacon Hills had crossed his mind, but he also was curious and to travel without being tied down. So, he didn’t return home.

“Jackson. Isaac. Ethan.  _ You _ . All of you left and never came back.” The hands on the steering wheel tightened. 

The air around Stiles became bitter again and Derek placed it this time. Resent. But what was Stiles resentful towards? “People leave, but it doesn’t mean they’re gone for good. We’re still pack even when we’re gone.” 

Stiles let out a harsh laugh “and then there's me. I don't even know if I'm still pack but I’m coming back anyway.”

Derek took a moment to process this. Stiles didn't know if he was still pack? Was he pushed out? Obviously he still felt like he was a part of something, otherwise he wouldn’t be driving like a madman to save them. Unless, he was only driving back home for his dad and Lydia. That would make sense of the resentful smell, he was bitter towards the pack. 

“Stiles,” Derek looked down. “Maybe you should get some rest.”

“The worst thing?” Stiles ignored Derek completely, “I understand why you didn’t come back. It’s way better when you’re not worrying about the next monster of the week. You start to find reasons to not come home. Did you know, I blamed everything on you after you left. I kept thinking, ‘Oh, Derek would've handled it this way’ or ‘Derek would help me with this’ or ‘This wouldn't happen if Derek had stayed’. Things would have been different if you stayed. Maybe Scott would’ve been more on my side with the whole Donovan Issue if you were there to help him see Theo was lying.” 

Derek didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know anything about the Donovan Issue or even who the hell Theo was. He could hear Stiles’ heartbeat dancing far faster than it normally did. How long had Stiles held this in? The poor guy was having a full on breakdown while driving Derek’s camaro. 

He looked at Stiles and through the dim light he could see the clenched jaw. “Look, Stiles… I’m sorry. I didn't know what was going to happen.” 

Stiles didn't respond but his heartbeat thumped in Derek’s ears like a five year old playing the drums for the first time. He stayed silent for the next thirty minutes as they reached Lincoln, Nebraska. The tension in the car was thick. It settled around them like a blanket and shifted only to resettle when they changed drivers again. Stiles curled into a ball facing away from him in the passenger seat and refused to even help Derek with the directions.

The bitter smell Stiles gave off burned Derek’s nose. It came off of him in waves and just when he thought it was slowing down, it would flare back up. Derek knew better than to say something this time and he kept his mouth shut. Something inside him yearned to offer Stiles a hand to hold, a lifeline to keep him grounded as he dealt with his emotions, but instead of reaching for him, he reached out to turn the radio back on. 

It took two hours for Stiles’ heart to calm down. By then, they had almost been on the road for twenty four hours. Derek took this time to mull over Stiles’ words. His chest felt heavy at the thought of Stiles somehow getting pushed out of the Pack and for a moment he let himself feel something more than just the pack bond for the young adult. 

He liked to think that he hid what he felt for Stiles well. When they were younger, Derek never let himself look too long at the teen in fear that he might get caught staring at his lips. There was something about the spastic teen that stirred something inside him and Derek could never figure out why. His heart seemed to jump whenever he heard Stiles’ name and he always felt lighter when he was around. Derek didn’t feel the need to be someone else when Stiles was around, which was exciting and terrifying all at the same time.

He memorized Stiles’ scent. Apples and spices. He even noticed a slight muskier scent develop after the Nogistune. He memorized the way the human’s heart would bounce up and down around certain people or with certain topics. He was tuned to Stiles emotions, he knew what would set him off and what would make him laugh. There was a time where Derek paid more attention to Stiles than himself. There was even a brief moment that Derek had a suspicion that Stiles felt the same way. 

Derek thought Stiles was almost asleep until he heard him shift against the leather of the seat. “I’m sorry,” the voice was so quiet that it was nearly drowned out by the music. Thank God for werewolf hearing. 

Derek refused to look at him, he focused on the white lines on the road. He opened his mouth and closed again, deciding to sigh instead. “You can't yell at me for things that I'm not even aware of.” 

“I know.” Stiles' voice was small, “It’s just…” He trailed off. 

“You don't want to go back.” Derek finished for him, knowing that he was right without even having to look at Stiles’ reaction. “You love them, but you don't want to go back.” 

The smell of salt filled the air and Derek knew he hit a nerve. “I always planned on staying and then senior year happened and I just had to leave. I had to get away from the school, from that stupid tree stump, from  _ Scott _ .” 

Derek started to say something, but Stiles kept going, “Someone told him a lie about me. And he believed it. He fucking pushed me out of the pack because of it. And then, in the end, after Scott learned how crazy Theo was, he apologized. I was pack again, but it didn't feel the same.” 

He desperately wanted to know what happened, but he was worried that if he asked, Stiles would give him the silent treatment again. It must’ve been bad for Scott to react the way he did. He felt a little guilty for not being around when it happened. He could’ve helped Stiles. 

Stiles took a shaky breath, “I killed someone.” 

The tension in the air crackled like it was electrocuted and then fizzled away like it was never there. In it’s place was a heavy silence. Stiles had killed someone, and by the sound of it, it happened a while ago.. No wonder there was tension between him and Scott. He loved Scott, but there were times where he found the “Holier-Than-Thou” attitude annoying. If he found out that Stiles had taken a life, the werewolf probably didn’t leave the human any room to explain what happened. But Derek knew Stiles. He knew Stiles would never willingly kill somebody despite how many threats he made. 

“Okay.” Derek said after a few moments of silence. 

“Okay?” Stiles repeated. “Don't you want to know how it happened? That it was self defense?”

“No.” Derek shook his head, “I don't.”

Derek could feel Stiles’ gaze on his face, “Why?” 

“Because I don't care.” Derek let that soak in for a moment, “It doesn't change who you are. You're still Stiles Stilinski. You're still a rambling know-it-all who would do anything for his friends or family. It doesn't change that. If Scott can't see that, then he isn't worth your time.” 

He wanted to add so many things that made Stiles Stiles. His love for Star Wars. His obsession with curly fries. His stubbornness in every situation, supernatural or not. Even his ability to remain human despite all the shit that goes on around him. 

Stiles kept staring at Derek. For a second, Derek was scared that the human stopped breathing. The only sound heard was a melody of soft jazz flowing through the speakers. When he finally did take a breath, it was shakier than normal. 

“I wish you never left.” 

The five words hit hard and Derek almost swerved on the road, this conversation wasn't meant to have in a moving car. He understood where Stiles was coming from, and maybe he was right. Maybe things would have actually been different if he had stayed. There’s such confidence in the way Stiles said it that it made Derek wonder if the five words had a different and deeper meaning. 

“I know.” 

Things are less stressed after that. Stiles doesn't sleep, claiming that he’s too wound up to do so. So they talk. Derek tells Stiles about his trip to Mexico when he visited Cora. Stiles tells Derek stories about his internship. Derek recounts the adventures he had with Braeden--including the breakup. He thinks he hears Stiles’ heart beat faster when he mentions the part of them no longer being a couple. Stiles catches Derek up on the messes that the pack had found themselves recently, including the time where everyone forgot about him. 

“Lydia brought me back.” Stiles was much more animated now than he was a few hours ago and Derek welcomed the change. “She somehow convinced everyone that I was real.The only downside is everyone now knows my real name.” 

“Not everyone.” Derek interjected as he glanced over, pulling into another gas station. 

“Shoulda been there.” Stiles winked and Derek swore his heart tried leaping out of his chest. “It was pretty terrifying, honestly. Thank God for Lydia.” 

“Thank God for Lydia,” Derek repeated under his breath. The soaring feeling in his chest crashed as Stiles mentioned Lydia. The girl Stiles chased for years was now his girlfriend. Derek tried to be happy for Stiles, he really did, but he couldn’t ignore the pit of jealousy building in his stomach. Stiles’ words from last night echoed in his ears.  _ I wish you never left _ . They weighed heavily on Derek as he tried to decipher what the human meant. 

“It’s weird,” Stiles continued, his voice dropping into a reflective tone, “I always thought love was supposed to be hard. As a kid, I remember a few of the fights my parents had and I was always scared they would break up. My dad had to sleep on the couch a couple of times. But the next morning, he would still kiss her goodbye and say that he loved her. They didn’t like each other in that moment, but they still loved each other. That’s the love I always wanted to find… but with Lydia, it’s easy. Almost too easy, y’know?” Stiles was staring directly at Derek. 

Yes, he understood, but no, he didn’t want to know how much Stiles was in love with Lydia. Growing up, his parents’ had a very loving relationship where they rarely fought. When they did fight, it was loud and terrifying and most times Derek went to cuddle with Laura to try and escape the shouting. She told him once that their parents only fought like that because they loved each other. 

“Sometimes, you have to fight with love to get your point across.” Derek repeated his sister’s words as he pulled up to the gas pump and met Stiles’ gaze.

Stiles didn’t look away. Silence followed Derek’s words as they both found themselves in a staring competition with the other. There was a strange energy that buzzed between them, indicating they both had more they wanted to say but both were too afraid to ruin the moment. Stiles licked his lips and Derek’s eyes moved to watch the gesture. 

“Snacks.” Stiles whispered and then cleared his throat, breaking the tension. “We need snacks.” He scrambled out of the car and nearly ran into the gas station. 

Derek shook his head, trying to clear his mind from the charged moment. He figured it was better to forget it happened than to dwell on it. As he got out of the car to pump the gas, he ran his fingers along the layer of dirt on his poor camaro. They were less than ten hours from Beacon Hills and Derek felt anxious. Less than ten hours from driving into a hunter-infested town. He didn’t know what they were driving into and that didn’t set well with him. 

He breathed in the fresh mountain air of Utah as he tried to calm his nerves. Everything was going to be fine, he told himself, the pack had handled Gerard before and managed to survive. The rising sun peeked over the mountains, casting everything in a warm orange light and Derek had a gnawing feeling it was the last moment of peace he was going to see for a while. 

“I decided that we needed a little fun before we ride into our deaths.” Stiles’ voice echoed behind him. Derek turned and couldn’t stop from staring. 

The orange light reflected off of Stiles’ face, casting him in an almost heavenly light. In it, Stiles looked impossibly young and carefree; the bags under his eyes were eliminated and any stress lines were erased. His eyes, that Derek had been staring at only minutes before, now glowed an impossible shade of amber and they crinkled upwards as he smiled at Derek. For a moment, Derek forgot that they were heading into battle. Instead, he imagined a different life where they traveled the country together without a care in the world. There were no werewolves, or FBI swat teams. Just the two of them and heated eye contact that could possibly lead to something more.

“Only the green apple machine worked.” Stiles held up two bright green slushies, one in each hand and Derek smiled fondly. “Shit, dude. Are you okay? That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in almost forty hours!”

Derek cut back the response about how Stiles barely smiled on the trip too. “Laura loved green apple.” He removed the pump and maneuvered around to the passenger side of the car, “If you spill even one drop on my seats, I’ll rip your throat out.” 

Stiles’ grin seemed to get wider, “Yeah, yeah. I know, with your teeth.” He managed to climb into the driver’s seat and hand Derek his drink. 

“You don’t talk about her much,” Stiles said after a few minutes of driving. “Your sister.”

Derek stopped sucking on his straw and let the ice melt in his mouth as he thought of a response, “You didn’t know her,” he said after he swallowed. “No point talking about her if you never met her.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear about her. I never had the chance to meet her in person, but I could get to know who she was through you.” 

Derek turned to look at Stiles, “you really want to know?”

Stiles glanced at him, meeting his eyes for a second before looking back at the road, “The only thing I know about her is that she liked green apple. Come on, Derek. I opened up to you, it’s your turn. Besides, it’ll make the drive go by faster.” 

Derek immediately tried to come up with an argument to keep his sister’s memory private, but he couldn’t think of anything. Stiles  _ was  _ right, he didn’t talk about Laura. Truth be told, he didn’t  _ want _ to talk about her. Hell, he barely even spoke to Cora about Laura. He had a strange fear that if he talked about her, then his memories of her would fade. He wanted to keep her strong and vibrant in his mind, even if that meant he was selfish with her. He didn’t want to share her, but if anyone could understand, he figured it would be Stiles. The guy had lost a family member too.

“You actually remind me a lot of her.” Derek began, not sure of how much of Laura he wanted to give Stiles. “She had a response to everything, even when she was in trouble.” Stiles stayed quiet and Derek took this as encouragement to keep going. 

“Most siblings are annoyed by the older sister, but I wasn’t. I wanted to be just like her.” Derek stared out the window, “She was popular, but only because she cared for everyone. She rarely got mad, but when she did, everyone knew to stay clear of her. One time, in middle school, I had this annoying kid picking on me every day. And one day, she walked into school with me and told the kid off in front of everyone. I think she even tried shoving him in a locker. Nobody dared to mess with me after that.” 

Stiles laughed at that, “I have a feeling I would have loved her.” 

Derek nodded, “you’d probably annoy her. She gave people shit, but she wasn’t much for taking it. She was a lot like my mom with that.”

Stiles laughed again and Derek suddenly wasn’t so apprehensive to share his family with him. He found himself describing the absolute mess that Cora made on her first full moon and how pissed his mother was because her favorite vase was broken. Or how he let Laura paint his nails for practice so she was prepared for any sleepover she was invited to. He told stories about how even though his dad was human, his whole family feared his wrath over Talia’s because the man wasn’t afraid to make them do obscene punishments like replace the plumbing or repaint the entire outside of the house.

Derek found himself remembering more and more and soon, he realized, he had talked for hours straight about his family. Stiles had chimed a few times with a couple of stories of his mom or a childhood memory that he shared with Scott. The air in the car was light and jovial, it was hard to believe that they were headed into a war. 

They were now well into California and he began recognizing certain landmarks. He felt a ball of dread grow larger and larger in his stomach with every mile. There was an undeniable force pulling at Derek’s wolf which he could only assume was the nemeton. It made him wonder if Stiles could feel the pull, he was far more connected to the tree than anyone else in the pack. 

As if confirming his question, Stiles shivered and he moved his right hand back to the steering wheel from its resting place on the gearshift. “We should stop at Scott’s first.” Stiles announced like he wasn’t the one driving. “The pack might be there.” 

Derek nodded, “If not, maybe we should check the Animal Clinic.” 

There was a familiar tangy smell coming from Stiles and Derek instantly categorized it as anxiety. Derek found himself reaching for his shoulder before he could stop himself, “Hey, it’s going to be alright.” He gave him a slight squeeze before dropping his hand.

“I just have a bad feeling.” Stiles mumbled. 

Derek tried laughing, “You always have a bad feeling.” 

Stiles didn’t smile. He nervously began tapping his fingers and Derek wanted to stop them. “Are you going to stick around if--after we finish everything?”

Derek sighed, he had been waiting for this question. If he answered honestly, then Stiles would be angry. If he lied, then he would be hurt. “I don’t know, maybe. What about you?” 

“I’ll finish my internship and then I don’t know. Join the FBI, I guess. Maybe travel. I’ll visit, no doubt about that, but I don’t think I’ll stay.”

Derek took a breath, “Do you need a traveling partner?” He held his breath, waiting for the response. It was risky, he knew it, but the whole road trip made him realize that Stiles wasn’t that bad of a traveling partner. Plus, it would be a good excuse to keep seeing Stiles.

The sigh that Stiles let out was enough to answer the question, “Why did you have to ask that?” He ran a hand through his hair, causing the hair to stick up even more. “I waited years to hear something like that. Waiting for you to just ask me. If you asked me in Mexico, I would have said yes without question. I wanted you. I was prepared to drop everything for you. But now? I can't.” Stiles looked at him, “We can't.” 

Derek’s heart thudded loud in his ears. Stiles had waited. He had wanted Derek. He was willing to drop everything to be with him. And he had thrown that away. Derek had left him behind. The funny thing was, he would have done the same thing. Hell, he did. He waited for Stiles, but he thought it was useless so he went and found someone else. The only difference was that he didn't love Braeden like Stiles loved Lydia.

He understood Stiles’ comment earlier now, maybe if Derek hadn't left, things would have been different. He could have convinced Scott that Stiles didn't mean to kill Donovan. He could have brought Stiles back by memory only. It could’ve been him. 

He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. They fell back into silence. It looked like their trip was going to end how it began. Except, this time, it was Derek who refused to talk.

Thirty minutes passed before they saw the sign announcing Beacon Hills. “We made it.” Stiles said, breaking the spell.

Derek nodded as he watched the familiar buildings pass by. God, it was strange to be back in Beacon Hills. It was almost like a dome of darkness covered the town, one moment it was daytime and the next they were driving through darkness. Everything looked different yet the same at the same time. It was similar to how he felt when he saw Stiles for the first time; everything looked the same until you paid closer attention. Even though Derek knew the town, something's happened here that he would never learn and it stung more than he thought it would.

Stiles turned down a street and instantly recognized the baby blue jeep in front of Scott’s driveway. It was a sight Derek never expected to see again and his heart seemed to still for a moment as he focused on the car. It looked amazingly well considering the adventures it experienced over the years. 

“No one’s home.” Stiles noted as he pulled behind the jeep. The lights were off in the McCall house which left Derek's nerves even more on edge. The dome light flooded his senses as Stiles turned off the car and opened the door.

“What are you doing?” Derek growled a mix of unfamiliar scents from outside hit his nose. “I thought we were going to check the clinic next?” 

“I have an idea.” Stiles said as he slammed the door and hopped from the camaro to the jeep. 

His eyes followed Stiles unintentionally trailed his hands across the blue paint. The motion was so familiar and Derek realized that he had just done the same thing earlier that day in Utah. He watched as the human pulled a key from his pocket--of course Stiles would carry a key to his car all the way across the county--and climb into the front seat. 

The streets were oddly quiet and Derek climbed out of his own car, taking this moment to stretch his legs. It seemed more like a sleepy little town than a city plagued with supernatural. In fact, the only noise he heard was the screeching static coming from the police radio in the jeep.

It was the silence that kept Derek on edge. He had never known Beacon Hills to be so quiet. The stillness was by far way more off putting; he had expected to jump into action right away when they came into town. He had a sneaking suspicion that they were being watched.

“I know where they are!” Stiles shouted over the sound of the jeep’s engine grinding to life. He stuck his head out the window and looked back at Derek, his eyes looked panicked and Derek heard his heart skipping every other beat. “Hurry your furry ass up and get in the jeep!” 

It was the second time in two days that Stiles had shouted at him to hurry his furry ass up. The first time, it was him trying to lead Derek into literal gunfire. Derek wasn’t for sure where the second one would lead, no doubt into some kind of battle, but he trusted Stiles. He trusted him with everything he had, and if that meant following him everywhere he went, that's exactly what Derek would do. 

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was floating around my head for a few days and I had to get it out. It came out a lot sadder than I planned, but I do have an idea for a hopefully happier sequel if anyone is interested. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!


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